Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This is my choice of the day:
Sadie’s Wars: An Australian Saga – Book 3 in the Currency Girls series by Rosemary Noble
99% One day, in the late 1970s, a reporter from the Grimsby Evening Telegraph visited the Dolphin looking for a story. The landlord suggested he talk to his oldest regular, Stanley Timms, and a piece was written for the newspaper detailing his life. We read it; made fun of it because it sounded unbelievable. A father who owned an award-winning vineyard and a million-acre sheep station, a friend of the Murdochs, and Dame Nellie Melba, a winner of horse races and a member of the CIA in WW2. Not possible, we thought, until he produced his CIA membership card at Christmas dinner. Unassuming, gentle Stanley had spent his war behind Japanese lines as a coast watcher in Borneo. After the war, his forest, the sole remaining piece of Timms property was taken over by the Indonesian government, without compension, and he was left penniless.
BLURB: An astonishing tale, spanning continents, where truth is stranger than fiction. This historical saga of an extraordinary Australian pioneer family continues into a new generation. Sadie is brought up amongst the vineyards of the Yarra Valley whilst her work-obsessed father reaps riches from the boom years before the Great War. With post-war depression looming, Sadie’s only option is to flee from her disastrous marriage, seeking refuge in Cleethorpes, a small seaside town in northern England.
Years later, when her sons are in RAF Bomber Command, she receives a letter from her long-lost brother which forces her to confront the past and her part in her family’s downfall.
No… I haven’t given you a flavour of the story – you’ll have to take my word for it that the writing is fluent and very readable. This extract is from the Afterword as I was just boggled at the manner in which this family discovered they’d been related to a colourful, once highly-regarded member of Australian society who has now been written out of history… Noble has done a storming job of recreating this era through her fictionalised account of the life of Sadie, one of the family members in the middle of this eventful time.
I like a good family saga and the Australian setting.
This sounds so interesting! I know nothing about Australian history, but I’m sure I’m missing out😀
This one is outside my current reading fare – but earlier on in my life, I used to read a lot of historical novels and thoroughly enjoyed this one.
I like the way someone who seems like nothing much turns out to be a hero.
Yes, it seems such a sad ending for a person who had lead such an eventful, tumultuous life, doesn’t it?
It sounds really interesting. That’s mine for the week:
Family sagas are my comfort reading. Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “A YEAR OF EXTRAORDINARY MOMENTS”
I highly recommend this one, Laurel – it’s due out at the end of the month and given a chunk of it is set in Australia, I think you’d really enjoy it.
It sounds really interesting. I have no idea what that era is like in Australian history, My Teaser is from a paranormal cozy this week.
It is fascinating, Laura – I had some idea of the history, but this gave a far more detailed overview.
There’s definitely a lot going on in that excerpt. CIA! WW2! Sheep station! (which I didn’t know was a thing). Sounds like an interesting one, Sarah. 🙂
It was a fascinating, engrossing read, Kathy:)
This one is a MUST READ for me! Posted my TT on http://powerfulwomenreaders.wordpress.com
I highly recommend this book – I really enjoyed it:)
This sounds very intriguing. I look forward to reading your full review for this one.
Lynn 😀
Thanks for sharing this excerpt. I know absolutely nothing about Australian history so you’ve certainly piqued my curiosity.
You know, I’ve been thinking of joining this meme. I just want to add some more variety to my blog. However, I might not participate every single week. It’s a thought, though! 🙂
I really like the sound of this book! How fascinating that this mild-mannered gentleman was actually a spy! And I know zilch about Australian history. So this book is going on my GR shelves for sure!
Thanks for sharing those interesting tidbits!! CHEERS!!! ❤ 🙂
And the fact it’s based on fact – the relation is in Rosemary Noble’s family – makes it even more remarkable…
Yes – I really enjoy this meme. Right now my blogging is very hit and miss as I keep going away… But I do like taking part in it – and you’d be very welcome!